


Strange Feeling

by Mignon3tte



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, Multi, One Shot, Polyamory, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, happy boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 01:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17111531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mignon3tte/pseuds/Mignon3tte
Summary: Eiji felt strange again; that same strange feeling that kept settling itself into his chest when he thought about Shorter and Ash. He saw their love and he wanted to be part of it.He wanted to step into their bubble, to walk into their atmosphere and feel their love. He wanted that symbiosis that came from three souls united.  He wanted it forever.





	Strange Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song "Strange Feeling" by WORLDS

Eiji’s chest felt heavy with his most recent realization. He tried to swallow it down and ignore it, count the trees and watch the birds fly overhead. It’s what he normally told Ash to do when he wasn’t feeling his best. It wasn’t working, though. The air was chilly enough to make his nose run and he wiped it on his sleeve. A gust of wind ruffled his hair and he took a moment to breathe deeply, feel the breeze run over his scalp. He held up his coffee and inhaled its scent.

“How about here?” Shorter said. He had found a round metal table a few blocks down from the coffee shop. They all sat down and complained about the feeling of cold metal on their rears. They leaned in and talked, laughed, told jokes. Ash whispered things about the passersby into Shorter’s ear and Shorter would laugh. Shorter replied with his own pun and they all burst out laughing. Eiji felt it bubble up from his stomach, run through his heart, and explode its way out of his mouth. He leaned into it and closed his eyes. He felt weightless. And there it was again.

That strange feeling.

He looked at Ash and saw that eternal warmth radiating from blond hair and green eyes. He reached out with a gloved hand and lay it on top of Ash’s. He couldn’t feel it through the fabric, but he could tell Ash’s hands were cold. Eiji turned his eyes to Shorter and felt his heart leap. Shorter was leaning back, hands in his pockets, still smiling from his wordplay. Eiji was overcome with the feeling to press his face into the boy’s chest and listen to his heartbeat. Shorter met Eiji’s eyes and his grin softened to a knowing smile.

Eiji took a sip of his coffee and smiled back. His nose was red from the cold.

They found themselves at Central Park on that cold, cloudy day. The wind was blowing harder and Eiji laughed when the dead leaves flew up around them in a swirl. A trio of crows screamed above them from their place in a tree. Ash pointed out a flock of pigeons and offered to bowl through them. Shorter stopped him by grabbing the back of his jacket. Ash whirled around and tackled Shorter into the grass. They stayed there, Ash laying on Shorter’s chest and giggling.

Eiji watched them, smiling. The blond boy and the Chinese boy, so different and yet so connected. They had so many inside jokes, so many stories that Eiji hadn’t heard yet. When they looked at one another, Eiji could see the unbreakable bond between them. Trust, kinship, and love.

Eiji felt strange again; that same strange feeling that kept settling itself into his chest when he thought about Shorter and Ash. He saw their love and he wanted to be part of it.

He wanted to step into their bubble, to walk into their atmosphere and feel their love. He wanted that symbiosis that came from three souls united.  He wanted it forever.

Eiji looked at them again. He had never had that feeling before—had never known it was possible. To fall in love with two people at once. And to know that those same two people loved him back.

He spent many nights wondering what his family would think. What would they do if he told him he was partnered with not one, but two males? They were open-minded people, but…

Ash and Shorter got his attention and asked for help standing up. Eiji reached out both of his hands and as soon as Ash and Shorter took them, they yanked him down. He tumbled onto the ground with a surprised yelp. Eiji retaliated by grabbing Shorter’s hands and straddling him. Ash tackled Eiji, sending them both rolling over Shorter and onto the grass again. Eiji wriggled himself out of Ash’s grip, stood up with a stumble, and ran. He only looked back once, but when he did, he couldn’t help but scream in delight.

Ash and Shorter were chasing after him and gaining fast. He tried to feint left, but Ash had been expecting it and grabbed the back of his jacket. Eiji almost gagged when he was yanked back and then whirled around. The momentum had him slamming into Ash’s torso.

“Gotcha,” Ash said. He wrapped his arms around Eiji’s torso, lifted him up, and spun him around. Eiji looked up at the clouds and grew dizzy.

“Put me down!” he cried. He couldn’t stop laughing. A cold breeze ran through his hair again.

Ash put him down and took Eiji’s hands in his. Their fingers intertwined and Eiji saw the bright green of the blond boy’s eyes contrasted by the grey sky above. Shorter jumped up behind Ash,

“May I cut in?” he said.

“Join us, won’t you?” Ash said and let go of Eiji’s hand to grab Shorter’s.

They went into a strange dance then. They skipped in circles like children, laughing and whooping. They tried spinning each other all at once, but failed and fell to the ground. They got up again and developed a sort of waltz, stepping in and out and in again.

They started spinning again and the strange feeling came back.

Time stopped and Eiji found himself looking at Ash and Shorter. He saw the looks of happiness and pure reckless abandon on their faces and felt tears form in his eyes. Eiji felt like he could fly up and catch the clouds.

He didn’t care what this relationship would mean for him. He didn’t care what it would mean for his future. If the strange feeling Eiji got whenever he was with Ash and Shorter created memories as good as this one, he would leave his entire life behind for it.

Eiji tripped on a rock and went tumbling down. Ash and Shorter threw themselves down beside him. They asked if he was okay and placed kisses on his face.

“We need to perform CPR!” Shorter said.

“I’ll do mouth-to-mouth,” Ash said and leaned in to kiss Eiji on the lips. Eiji sputtered and giggled.

“He’s alive! You saved him!” Shorter said.

“ _We_ saved him,” Ash said. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Shorter’s cheek.

Shorter turned to look at Eiji. “Are you weak? Do you need me to carry you home?”

“No, I can walk,” Eiji said. He stood up and took off running again.

He heard Ash yell “He’s getting away!” and he couldn’t help but whoop with joy. He was much faster than Shorter and Ash when he wanted to be, but right now, he wanted them to catch him.

The wind was blowing against his face even harder than before and it made his eyes fill with tears. He blinked hard and they ran down his cheeks. Then, a heavy weight collided with his back and he slammed into the grass again. The air was knocked out of his chest and Eiji realized it must have been Shorter that tackled him. The familiar scent of Shorter’s cologne confirmed his assumptions.

“I got him, Ash!” Shorter yelled behind him.

“Shorter,” Eiji said between bouts of laughter, “get off me!”

“Crikey, that’s a real beaut’,” Ash said. Eiji didn’t understand the accent or the reference, but he loved it all the same.

“We gotta subdue him before he fights back,” Shorter said. “I got the legs, you get the arms!”

Ash ran around to Eiji’s head and grabbed hold of his wrists. His slender fingers were as cold as ice. Together, Ash and Shorter lifted Eiji and walked him over to a tree. Eiji could feel his abdominals grow sore from the uncontrollable laughter. His cheeks were red from both the cold and the exertion. He opened his eyes and saw dark brown tree branches and cloudy skies. They dropped him down and sat beside him.

They sat under the tree, catching their breath. Eiji gestured for Ash and Shorter to lay down on him.

“Come down here,” he said, “I am cold.”

Shorter and Ash obliged. They laid their heads down on his chest and stomach. Eiji wrapped his arms around them, enjoying their warmth. He exhaled deeply and could feel his own heart beating, healthy and strong. He loved Ash and Shorter; he loved them so much for welcoming him into their love. He swam in it and felt at home.

The feeling wasn’t strange anymore.


End file.
